Yesterday, the House appropriations committee convened at 3:50 to discuss current bills, one of them being the latest GOP big tech legislation sponsored by Rep. Blaise Ingoglia (R-35).
The Big Tech bill, which Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has touted as, "the most ambitious reforms yet proposed for combatting political censorship", has also caught some bipartisan backlash for being a "weak" bill and being too ambiguous.
Rep. Randy Fine (R-53) although a proponent of taking down big tech, did see a problem with allowing too much power to political candidates, referencing a candidate in his last election that made bold anti-Semitic remarks online.
The main point Ingoglia was trying to drive home was to, "hold both parties accountable" as he repeated this throughout his presentation. This tactic seemed to work as even prominent Democrat, Rep. Joseph Geller (D-100) applauded Ingoglia's goals, but still voted no.
Public testimony was lead by Laura Loomer (R), a woman who is currently a Congressional candidate in FL District 21, who spoke before the committee regarding censorship and how it has affected her.
Loomer, who is considered the most banned woman on social media, has even been kicked off of Uber, Lyft, Facebook, and Twitter:
"During Hurricane Dorian, which was set to land directly in Palm Beach County, where I live, real time emergency updates and life saving information from the governor's office, the division of emergency management, and the Palm Beach County Sherrifs Office, and the weather channel, were being broadcasted on Twitter and Facebook. These are now the primary means of communications for these agencies. Because I am banned on Twitter and Facebook I was not able to get these emergency updates. Additionally, Uber and Lyft were offering free rides to users for evacuation to hurricane shelters, I live in a hurricane evacuation zone, and I am banned on both Uber and Lyft."
When all said and done, the committee approved the bill by a vote of 19-8.
